San Francisco’s Historic Streetcars and the F-Line

The vintage trolleys that run along Market Street and the Embarcadero are not replicas. They are restored streetcars from the 1940s and 1950s, and some are older, brought to San Francisco from cities that retired them.

The F Market and Wharves line

The F-line opened on September 1, 1995. It runs from the Castro down Market Street, then turns onto the Embarcadero and continues to Fisherman’s Wharf. Muni operates it, and the nonprofit Market Street Railway helps restore and maintain the historic fleet.

The fleet

The backbone of the line is the PCC streetcar, a model built across North America in the 1940s and 1950s. Many of the San Francisco cars are painted in the colors of the cities that once ran them, from Philadelphia to Kansas City. The fleet also includes 1920s-era trams brought from Milan, Italy, and cars from New Orleans built in the green design used on that city’s St. Charles line.

The E Embarcadero line

A second heritage line, the E Embarcadero, opened in 2015 and ran along the waterfront between Fisherman’s Wharf and the Caltrain depot at Fourth and King. Service was suspended in 2020. Check SFMTA for its current status before planning a trip around it.

Riding the line

The F-line runs above ground the whole way and takes the same fare as the rest of Muni. It is often crowded along the Embarcadero on weekends.